Recommended by Adam Richter

A powerful, perfectly staged one-minute play about unrequited love. Steve Martin once again shows why he's a master of the one-minute play, doing so much in so little time. Your heart will break for these characters.

In less than half a page, John Mabey gives us a richly realized character in Jules, whose warmth, wit and hurt come through in every word of this brief but powerful monologue. The final line cuts with razor-sharp precision.

The bonds of family may be strong, but Philip Middleton Williams puts them through the ringer in "The Sugar Ridge Rag," a powerful play about the toll that war takes on families, even when no one is killed. The Grangers are a loving family who get tested by the Vietnam War and the choices each twin makes in response to it.
Each war leaves scars on the current and succeeding generations, and "The Sugar Ridge Rag" explores those scars brilliantly. This should be staged everywhere.

An excellent play for the Halloween season, "Of Night and Dark Obscurity" haunts us with its tale of emotional abuse and what victims need from each other. The dialogue is rich and layered, and the staging would be a costume designer and makeup artist's dream collaboration.

When someone veers inexorably down an irrational path, there is little that a reasonable person can do to stop them. Rachael Carnes has written a darkly funny revenge play about the desperate lengths to which people will go to get back at those who have wronged them.
This play is — ahem — itching to be produced.

It's remarkable what we do to push ourselves when we're seeking to prove our worth — whether to ourselves, our dumb sister with ALL THE TROPHIES or that snide-yet-cute sailing instructor. Ellida is an instantly recognizable young woman: Determined yet questioning why she's in a situation she considers dumb. This monologue is funny, vivid and full of dramatic tension. Not to mention the lighting and movement possibilities of staging a person treading water in a fjord. I would love to see this on stage.

War makes for impossible situations. Dave's tale of taking a life while in Vietnam is brief but powerful, and filled with questions. The one that stuck with me the most is: Who has the right to take a life? The killers in the trenches during a battle? The doctor who decides a patient isn't worth saving? The politicians who sent them all to fight in the first place?
This is part of a larger piece but "Zero Sum Game" easily stands on its own as a thought-provoking and powerful monologue.

"Drive Away" is a powerful, gripping play about sisters, each one trying to save the other from herself. Robin Berl masterfully sets up the situation, with great staging and sharp dialogue, so we think we're watching a play about one thing and then — WHAM! — she delivers the big reveal that pulls the audience in a completely new direction. After reading I was left struggling with the question: Why are we so bad at defining happiness for ourselves? The way Berl presents this question in this play is brilliant. Well done!

Reading previous recommendations of "The Old Railroad," I wondered: How did Scott Sickles tell this story in just one page? Having read it, I still have the same question. This is a lovely tale of brotherhood, Christmas and family traditions. Holiday rituals are how we remember loved ones, warts and all, and "The Old Railroad" is a warm, funny reminder of that.

Life is a series of tiny little decisions that have ripple effects through the rest of our lives. Philip Middleton Williams' short play "Going There" demonstrates this with such wit and skill. Sam and Gary have a complex relationship that's completely believable in both timelines. I am always amazed by the author's ability to tell so much in so few pages, and "Going There" is another gem.